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Sunday, December 11, 2016

October ArtSnacks Vs SketchBox

Thanks to Denise Hillburn (my mother) for the gift of ArtSnacks for the year! SketchBox Basic subscription purchased by me out of personal funds. If you would like to help support this blog, and continue posts like this, please consider donating to my Paypal, or contributing to my Patreon. Future unboxings and reviews are unlocked to the public at the $15 level each month, but backers have access regardless of funds raised. Posts like this are only possible through the support of my Backers, so if you enjoy this content, please check it out and consider joining.

This unboxing and overview was brought to you thanks to the generosity of my backers on Patreon, and was sponsored by 7" Kara,Volume 1. 7" Kara is an ongoing children's watercolor comic set in rural Louisiana, and follows the adventures of tiny Lilliputian Kara as she discovers humans, explores the back yard, and befriends a kitten. Volume 1 is available now in the Natto-shop, just in time for Christmas!

We're nearing the end of our ArtSnacks Vs. SketchBox year of unboxings. I plan on ending this series in January, but if you enjoy it, and would like to see it continue, there are a few ways you can accomplish that. You can write to ArtSnacks and SketchBox and let them know how much you value my content, especially my reviews. You can also join the Patreon community and make your voice heard.

Special September Thanks To My Patreon Backers

Please note: I have linked backer webcomics/blogs when I have access to them. If you are a backer who would like to have your project linked, please get in contact with me.

ArtSnacks

This Month's Brands:

Liquitex (ColArts)
Copic
Uni
Princeton

The Unboxing:

The Overview:

Inside October ArtSnacksThe Card

The Card Reads:Here's what's on the Menu for October:
The Midnight Snack

Special Release Muted Collection: Liquitex Professional INK!$8.95 retailLimited EditionArtSnacks Exclusive
Liquitex is only releasing a limited supply of it's Special Release Muted Collection: Liquitex Professional INK! and as an ArtSnacks subscriber, you're one of the first to get it. This water-resistant ink is extremely fluid, so it's easy to use with both brushes and dip pens. It's also fast-drying, so it wont slow you down when you want to try layering techniques. There are five colors in this exclusive collection. Which one did you get?

Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen$3.75 retailStaff Favorite The Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen provides a silky flow of highly opaque ink. This pen will perform especially well on tinted or black paper. Try layering it over other inks, once they have dried. You'll find that this ink does not fade as it dries, so you won't be drawing over and over on the same linesto get a strong white highlight.

Copic Gasenfude Brush Pen$7.49New Product The Copic Gasenfude Brush Pen was created with sumi-e (East Asian brush painting) artists in mind. It's also great for calligraphy and cartooning. Filled with water-based pigment ink, this pen features a super-fine point that makes this tool even more flexible. If you have Copic markers in your collection, you can use this brush pen with them- the ink is compatible so the colors will not bleed.

Lauren Series 4350 Watercolor Brush By Princeton Brush$5.75 retail
Princeton Brush is known for its quality and affordability. Their experts have developed a variety of high-performing synthetic fibers for use with specific types of paint. Your new Lauren Series 4350 Watercolor Brush was handmade from synthetic materials and is designed for use with watercolor paints. We think you'll like the way this brush handles your new Liquitex Professional INK!

The Gasenfude contains waterbased pigment ink that is archival and compatible with Copic Markers — which means the colors won't bleed. The sturdy, flexible, 9 mm long nylon bristles end in a super-fine point for detail work.

Liquitex Inks are extremely fluid, water resistant, permanent and so lightfast they’ll go down in history. Ideal for airbrushing, watercolor effects and screen-printing, you can water the ink down, stamp it, or use it seamlessly with any other Liquitex product.
(source: http://www.liquitex.com/muted-collection-sets/)

I am pretty sure ArtSnacks has a deal with Princeton-by the end of this year, I'll probably have a round in all of their lines.

I'm most excited about the Liquitex Muted Ink and the Copic Gasenfude. The Gasenfude has been on my to review list for awhile- I held off purchasing one because I have a huge backlog of products I've yet to review.

SketchBox

This Month's Brands Are:Tombow
Zig/Kuretake
Chameleon

Inside October SketchBox

The Cards:

The Cards Read:

SketchBoxOctober Basic Box

Tombow Dual Brush Pens- Portrait Set Retail Price: $16.99
These are some of our favorite double-ended brush pens due to their versatility and value. Two tips allow for broad strokes and pinpoint precision. The nibs can also be dipped in water to create subtle color washes!2x Zig Art and Graphic Twin MarkerRetail Price: $3.58 each
These markers are filled with a waterbased dye that is odorless and xylene-free. This flexible rubber brush tip creates a variety of line and stroke sizes, while maintaining its spring and shape without fraying. The fine-point (0.8mm) fiber tip is ideal for detail work, sketching, or finishing touches.

Chameleon Detail PenRetail Price: $4.99
Use the Chameleon Black Detail Pen for illustrating or outlining. It is a a double-ended pen with two Fine Line nibs (0.6mm and 0.4mm). The marker contains black dye-based ink that is permanent when dry and compatible with alcohol based inks.

We've added a lot of new items to our shop including past boxes so be sure to check it out at getSketchBox.com/shop

With the holidays fast approaching it's time to start thinking about gifts! If you know someone who would love to receive SketchBox be sure to ignup by November so they can start receiving boxes in time for the holiday. We're also hard at work on our next LIMITED EDITION HOLIDAY BOX which will have brand new, limited edition, and exclusive items.

SketchBoxOctober Featured ArtistFatma Sahem

My name is Fatma and I'm a graphic designer and an artist from beautiful sunny Dubai. When I' not doing my job as a graphic designer, you will find me in a coffee shop or a corner somewhere sketching and drawing in my sketchbook. I've always had a great love for art and drawing. I recently started making youtube videos of my drawings and paintings, since they are my favorite type of videos to watch. I also have an online shop where I sell most of my artworks please do check it out!

I was pretty excited to see such a sizable pack of decent quality waterbased markers in my SketchBox this month, and even more excited to see two of my favorite waterbased markers- the Zig Art and Graphic Twin. When pitted head to head in reviews on this blog, I preferred the Art and Graphic Twin (link) to the Tombow ABT (link), and am regularly disappointed by the ABT's popularity over the Art and Graphic Twin. It was really exciting to see SketchBox include both brands in this month's box- maybe more artists will fall in love with the Graphic Twin the way I have.

The Demonstration:

For an explanation of the photos below, please watch the above video. Copic Gasenfude

Liquitiex Ink! Muted Pink

Princeton Lauren Synthetic White Brush

Uni Signo White Gel Pen

Tombow Dual Brush Pens

Zig Art and Graphic Twin Markers

Chameleon Detail Pen

Copic Gasenfude next to Pentel Kirari

Water-fastness. The Copic Gasenfude is water safe after 1 hour of dry time

Testing Liquitex Ink! Muted Pink acrylic ink with a brush and with nibs.

Top: Water and alcohol marker fastness tests with the Chameleon liner pen. Note: At no point is the Chameleon ever waterproof, making it a poor choice to include with waterbased markers, as it will lead to smearing. Bottom: Blending and water tests with the Tombow ABT markers and the Zig Art and Graphic Twins.

The above video is a demonstration where I use the included Liquitex Ink! to ink a piece in my ArtSnacks Inktober Denik notebook. Although I had massive issues with the paper, I really enjoyed the color of the ink. This test inspired the challenge piece.

The Challenge:

For October, I opted to combine my boxes into one challenge, as I felt the materials complimented one another well.

The Verdict:
This month was a tough one, as both boxes were great. I expected a stronger Inktober theme from Sketchbox, but waterbased markers like Tombow ABT and Zig Art and Graphic Twin do fall into the ink category.

Something I found surprising, and honestly a little insulting, is the Premium box features alcohol markers rather than waterbased. Both types of markers have their selling points, and both have a place in an illustrator's studio- waterbased markers are in no way 'basic'. That said, they do tend to be more affordable than alcohol based markers, and are something I strongly recommend to artists just starting out.

Vigilante comic artist, illustrator, and comic craft blogger at www.nattosoup.blogspot.com. I have an MFA from SCAD in Sequential Art, which means I'm highly educated in the art of drawing funny picture books. I specialize in comics aimed at young girls, and enjoy the finer things in life- seinen manga, whiney autobio graphic novels, and science fiction.

Ways to Show Your Support

These are art supply subscription boxes that I'd love to review! You can check out my Review Tab for past Art Snacks reviews. Future subscription box reviews will include a challenge portion where I make something using the materials included in the box.